Subtotal carbon dioxide (CO2) laser arytenoidectomy for endoscopic treatment of bilateral immobility of the vocal folds in adduction is a variant of total arytenoidectomy. The principal modification involves preservation of a thin posterior shell providing good postoperative fixation of the arytenoid region. The risk of aspiration is thus averted and collapse of arytenoid mucosa into the larynx during inspiration is prevented. The risk of synechia with the posterior commissure is avoided. The CO2 laser is operated at a working distance of 400 mm with a continuous 7-W beam in superpulse mode. Operation time is thus reduced to approximately half an hour and the risk of postoperative edema is reduced. Tracheotomy is not necessary. Forty-one patients, including 16 men and 25 women, were treated by this technique between 1985 and 1994. Their mean age was 55 +/- 17 years, ranging from 11 to 83 years. Follow-up ranged from 1 month to 111 months (9 years 3 months), with a mean of 56 +/- 29 months (4 years 8 months). The mean peak forced expiratory flow-peak inspiratory flow ratio (normal = 1), which permits a measurement of respiratory quality, is improved from 3.7 +/- 1.4 preoperatively to 1.6 +/- 0.5 postoperatively (p<.001). Postoperative voice measurements show a mean vocal intensity of 61 +/- 3 dB hearing level, a mean maximum phonation time of 8 +/- 4 seconds, and a mean phonation quotient of 397 +/- 150 mL/s. As for vocal quality, 38% of the patients now have a near-normal voice according to our high-resolution frequency analysis, and all of the patients retained satisfactory voice quality.

The indications for rigid bronchoscopy for interventional pulmonology have increased and include stent placements and transbronchial cryobiopsy procedures. The shared airway between anesthesiologist and pulmonologist and the open airway system, requiring specific ventilation techniques such as jet ventilation, need a good understanding of the procedure to reduce potentially harmful complications. Appropriate adjustment of the ventilator settings including pause pressure and peak inspiratory pressure reduces the risk of barotrauma. High frequency jet ventilation allows adequate oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal even in cases of tracheal stenosis up to frequencies of around 150 min−1; however, in an in vivo animal model, high frequency jet ventilation along with normal frequency jet ventilation (superimposed high frequency jet ventilation) has been shown to improve oxygenation by increasing lung volume and carbon dioxide removal by increasing tidal volume across a large spectrum of frequencies without increasing barotrauma. General anesthesia with a continuous, intravenous, short-acting agent is safe and effective during rigid bronchoscopy procedures.

We compared two different training simulators (computer screen-based versus full-scale) for training anesthesia residents to better document the effectiveness of such devices as training tools. This is an important issue, given the extensive use and the high cost of mannequin-based simulators in anesthesiology.

In this study, we compared two different training simulators (the computer screen-based simulator versus the fullscale simulator) with respect to training effectiveness in anesthesia residents. Participants were evaluated in the management of a simulated preprogrammed scenario of anaphylactic shock using two variables: treatment score and diagnosis time. Our results showed that simulators can contribute significantly to the improvement of performance but that learning in treating simulated crisis situations such as anaphylactic shock did not significantly vary between full-scale and computer screen-based simulators. Consequently, the initial decision on whether to use a full-scale or computer screen-based training simulator should be made on the basis of cost and learning objectives rather than on the basis of technical or fidelity criteria. Our results support the contention that screen-based simulators are good devices to acquire technical skills of crisis management. Mannequin-based simulators would probably provide better training for behavioral aspects of crisis management, such as communication, leadership, and interpersonal conflicts, but this was not tested in the current study. T he use of full-scale (FS) simulators for training in anesthesia is becoming a topic of great interest and a source of controversy in the anesthesia profession. One reason is their purchase and maintenance costs. Another is their effectiveness compared with other less-expensive training methods. Yet, Chopra et al.(1) have shown that anesthesiologists trained on mannequin-based simulators perform better when handling simulated crisis situations a second time, than those not trained on the simulator. However, can the large cost of a mannequin-based simulator be justified or can the same training effect be obtained by using a less expensive computer screen-based simulator? Is the training effect the same for novices and more experienced anesthesiologists? The acid test to answer these questions would be to determine whether patients treated by simulator-educated physicians would have a better outcome or if simulator training could reduce the cost of training or health care. These direct measurements of simulator training effectiveness might be virtually impossible in anesthesia because of the large variability in work situations. As an alternative, the effectiveness of training simulators could be tested by measurement of the progress achieved through a simulator training program, not by comparison between simulated and real practice settings. In this study, we compared the impact on training of two types of anesthesia simulators, a computer screen-based simulator and a mannequin-based simulator, to better document their effectiveness as training tools. Because of the similar training that is involved in both simulators, both training simulators might be expected to improve performance. However, because of the increased complexity of the mannequin-based environment, we hypothesized that the progress of performance in this training ...

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